MENS BASKETBALL: San Jac sinks Seahawks to snare share of first

Published 3:38 pm, Saturday, February 18, 2012

Everything is coming up roses for anything connected to Sam Rayburn High School’s boys’ basketball program these days.

Not only are the Texans just days away from playing in their first state playoff game in 24 years, now their alumni are sinking game-winning shots against first-place teams.

Former Sam Rayburn player Nemo Sanchez found all net from behind the 3-point arc with 10 seconds remaining, lifting San Jacinto College to a gutsy 81-80 Region 14 Conference triumph over Lamar State-Port Arthur at Anders Gym Saturday.

The outcome, coupled with Blinn defeating Jacksonville, has left the South Division in a three-way logjam for first place with only four regular season contests remaining. San Jac, Lamar State and Blinn will all be taking 11-4 records into the final two weeks of the season.

In snapping a two-game skid to the Seahawks, San Jac overcame an 11-point deficit with under seven minutes to play. It came to a climax when Sanchez took a pass at the right wing and burned the Seahawks’ 2-3 zone defense with his dramatic game-winner.

“We ran a play and I ended up wide open on that side and it went in. I got chills. That’s all I felt was chills after the shot went in,” Sanchez said.

After Lamar State called time with seven ticks remaining, Derrick Dawkins drove right up the lane and had a great look at the hoop but his finger roll had the ball connect off the back iron and over the rim as the buzzer sounded.

The Seahawks were guided by the one-two punch of Brandon Peters and Elijah Pittman scoring 23 points each and Dawkins tacking on 10.

“We were trying to get the ball set up like it was coming for Nemo out in the corner. We were going to have Flavien slide over from the backside. I thought it was open for a split second but Pittman realized it. From there, we had to make a play because there wasn’t enough time on the clock and Nemo made the play. When he shot it, I thought it was off but I thought we could get the offensive rebound,” said San Jac assistant coach Scott R. Gernander, who happens to be a former Sam Rayburn player himself.

A big, big reason Lamar State saw its 11-point lead evaporate over the last seven minutes was because the visitors only scored one field goal. The Seahawks instead relied on trips to the foul line and that’s where over the game’s last 5:12, Lamar State was 7-of-12. San Jac was 1-of-2.

Sanchez said his game-winning goal was to atone for a traveling violation he was whistled for with 38 seconds to play and the Ravens down 78-76.

On the other side of that traveling call, the Seahawks went up by four after another trip to the foul line. But then came Davis’ final points and then the killer as far as Lamar State was concerned. Elton Roy missed two free-throw attempts with 28 seconds to play, setting the stage for the game-winning shot.

Sanchez had drained an earlier clutch goal with 3:20 to play, cutting a six-point deficit in half. Chatman then brought the Ravens all the way back with a trey with 1:46 remaining, knotting the score at 76.